| Abstract [eng] |
Raising children with special educational needs poses numerous challenges for parents who employ specific coping strategies. Such strategies maintain the overall quality of life of their families and sustain hope. This research aims to assess the correlation between stress coping strategies, quality of life, and hope among parents raising children with special educational needs. The study involved 135 parents from whom 84 had children with learning disabilities, 26 with behavioral and/or emotional disorders, and 25 with speech and language disorders, living in different regions of Lithuania. This research evaluated the stress coping strategies employed by parents, their family's quality of life, and the level of hope they experienced. The findings indicate that stress coping, quality of life, and hope do not vary significantly based on the specific disorder exhibited by the child. However, when considering the diagnosis of behavioral and/or emotional disorders, age discrepancies emerge in coping strategies among parents. Additionally, the age of the child influences the parents' quality of life (within the learning and behavioral and/or emotional disabilities group), and the stress coping strategy differs based on the number of children in the family within the same groups. In the learning disabilities group, a relationship exists between parents' stress coping, quality of life, and hope, while in three groups, associations between stress coping strategies and quality of life domains are evident. Certain demographic factors are linked to stress coping strategies, and internal coping strategies are associated with hopeful attitudes. Reframing, family mobilization strategies, parental age, and education are predictive factors for overall quality of life among the participants. |
